The Federal Government will pay up to $202 million (US$136 million) compensation to thousands of Indigenous workers whose wages were stolen while working in the Northern Territory (NT) last century.
The payout is part of the settlement of a class action on behalf of workers and their families who were subject to Commonwealth wage control legislation between 1933 to 1971.
The Western Australian government settled a similar case last year for stolen wages in that state, agreeing to pay out $165 million (US$111 million) while an action against the Queensland government resulted in compensation totalling $190 million (US$128 million) in 2019.
Lead applicant in the NT case, Minnie McDonald, remembers working on stations from a young age.
She said the class action was about all the people who never got paid.
“I was working with my family—my father, my mother, and my brothers were on the station. I later met my husband when working on stations,” McDonald said.
“We had nothing and had to live on bush tucker and a bit of bread. A lot of those people we worked with are gone now.”
Indigenous Australians minister Malarndirri McCarthy, said she hoped the settlement would bring closure to First Nations people who were impacted by the wage control legislation.
“This is a significant step towards fixing the wrongs of the past and I acknowledge Minnie McDonald and every First Nations person involved in bringing this class action forward to seek redress and healing,” she said.
“The NT historical wages class action concerns a deeply regrettable and shameful chapter in Australian history.”
The government has also agreed to contribute to legal costs and administration.
The settlement is subject to approval by the Federal Court and eligible workers and their families will need to register to receive compensation.
Shine Lawyers, who represented McDonald during the class action, said they have proposed conducting an outreach program throughout the Territory to assist with registration.
Lawyer Sarah Thompson said she and the team were grateful to McDonald and other witnesses who shared their stories during the proceedings.
“Today is a step forward for the many thousands of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people we represent across the Northern Territory,” she said.
“This settlement cannot correct the past, but it acknowledges the suffering of these workers and their descendants, who have experienced disadvantage because of the Commonwealth legislation in place over many decades which controlled their wages.”
